What Is Plantar Hyperhidrosis?

Plantar hyperhidrosis is excessive sweating of the legs, regardless of the air temperature in the room. The main symptoms of this disease include:

• constantly cold and damp feet;
• pathological changes in the skin of the feet caused by constant exposure to sweat;
• offensive odor of sweat (bromhidrosis).

Constant humidity contributes to the development of fungal and pyogenic flora, which is actively developing without proper care. Sometimes sweat, colored in different colors, is added to the above symptoms, which further complicates the discomfort.

Features of excessive foot sweat

Hyperhidrosis of the feet does not cause much harm to human health, but it gives him a lot of inconveniences, including:

• constant physical and psychological discomfort;
• unsightly appearance of the legs;
• deteriorating relationships with others;
• the inaccessibility of some professions that involve close communication with people;
• frequent depression;
• deteriorating quality of life;
• problems to communicate with the opposite sex.

To avoid all of the above, you need to not let the problem take its course, but to identify the disease’s cause and immediately start the appropriate treatment.

Causes of excessive foot sweating

Sometimes leg hyperhidrosis can be the result of some severe diseases (diabetes mellitus, tuberculosis), but if their presence in the human body is excluded, doctors consider a number of other reasons:

• skin, infectious or endocrine diseases;
• increased concentration of sweat glands;
• malfunctions of the central nervous system;
• failure to comply with the rules of personal hygiene;
• shoes and socks are too tight or out of season;
• shoes and socks are made of synthetic materials;
• the presence of too spicy and strongly seasoned dishes in the patient’s diet.

Only a doctor can establish the true cause of foot hyperhidrosis. As a rule, this problem is addressed to a dermatologist, who prescribes the necessary treatment.

Treatment of foot hyperhidrosis
There are two types of treatment for foot hyperhidrosis:

• medication;
• non-drug.

Medical treatment includes:

• ointments;
• botox or botulinum toxin injections;
• iontophoresis;
• laser treatment;
• surgical intervention.

Ointments against increased sweating are prescribed by a doctor, based on the causes and complexity of the disease.

Intramuscular injections of botulinum toxin block postganglionic sympathetic nerves, thus eliminating the problem of hyperhidrosis for a period of 6 to 10 months. After that, the procedure will have to be repeated. Also for this purpose, an analogue of botulinum toxin is used – botox, which is used to inject the area of increased sweating. The effect of this procedure can last up to 8 months.

Iontophoresis is a procedure during which special medicinal substances are injected into the problem area with the help of a galvanic current. A positive result is achieved in 83% of cases. The main disadvantages of this method are the high cost and the need for repeated procedures every 6-9 months.

Laser treatment of the problem area is carried out under local anesthesia and lasts 1-2 hours. A microcannula with optical microfiber is inserted under the skin through a puncture up to 2 mm in diameter. In the process of movement, it damages the cells of the sweat glands with a laser, preventing their restoration. In parallel, the laser beam sterilizes the treated area, minimizing the risk of complications. In most cases, one procedure is enough to eliminate the problem of excessive sweating.

If all of the above treatment methods are ineffective, they resort to surgical intervention (sympathectomy). The operation is performed under general anesthesia using microinstruments that are inserted under the skin through small punctures. The effectiveness of such treatment is 95%, but the high probability of a side effect in the form of increased sweating in other areas of the body stops many patients to conduct this procedure.